The Golden Girl
by LovingLexey
Summary: Edward and Bella are two sophomores at Ramsay Linne Academy. Edward's sister made Bella and her friend promise not to go after her brother, but when someone's as attractive and charming as Edward, who can keep a promise like that? AU/AH
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_This is wrong. I shouldn't be doing this_, Bella thought with a frown. She rested her head against Edward's chest and sighed quietly. Against what her heart was trying to tell her, her mind was what managed to overpower her in that moment of time. Pulling away from Edward, Bella backed away from him, needing to put a few feet in between the two of them.

Hesitantly, Bella looked up at him. His expression was one of confusion as he took a slow step towards her. Though it killed her to do it, Bella took another step back, knowing that if he got too close she would be unable to say what was currently on her mind.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked, a frown making its way to his usually smiling face. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest when his voice made its way to her ears. His soft and normally soothing voice sounded so broken and unsure.

"We can't do this," she told him reluctantly, unable to look him in the eye as she spoke. "Rosalie," Bella gently reminded him. "Rosalie is the reason why we can't do this. She's one of my best friends, Edward. Rosalie told Alice and me on her first day here that she doesn't want any of her friends dating her brother. She said that she didn't want to be put in the middle if the relationship didn't last. I'm sorry Edward, but this just isn't going to work."

"Please, Bella," Edward pleaded.

The pain was audible in his voice and it made tears well up in her brown eyes. Bella bit down hard on her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut, willing them to not fall.

"I don't want to hurt her," Bella responded in a whimper as a tear slid down her face. "I don't want to betray her."

"Rose doesn't have to know. We can wait until she's more comfortable with the idea of us together."

"I don't know, Edward," she mumbled.

She really didn't. Her mind was telling her that Rosalie would hate her if she ever found out, while her heart was screaming at her that she would never find anyone else that made her as happy as she was whenever she was around Edward.

"I don't know," Bella repeated, her voice cracking in the middle of her sentence.

"Bella, tell me that you don't feel this," he challenged, his voice both determined and pleading.

Slowly, he stepped towards her. When he was once again standing in front of her, Edward lifted the back of his hand and brushed it against Bella's cheek. Each one of his movements was slow and hesitant, and Bella assumed it was because he didn't want her to back away from him again. Edward held his hand to her cheek, moving so that it was his palm that was touching her face, molding it to fit the shape of her cheekbone.

"Tell me that you don't feel this and I promise that I'll leave you alone. I'll never bother you ever again." The familiar burning fire flared inside of Bella's body at the feeling of Edward's skin touching hers. Her heart rate began accelerating, pounding against her ribcage. She didn't know how to feel, not knowing why such a simple touch of the hand made her feel so . . . _adored_. When her lungs started burning, she instinctively sucked in a ragged breath.

From the first moment they had met, Bella knew that there was something different about Edward. Every time he touched her, he always left a roaring fire in his wake. Bella had never felt anything like it before. Her mind was at war with her heart, and the new, unfamiliar emotions were beginning to scare her.

Any thought that was at the front of her mind about how Rosalie would react if she ever found out, how it would affect their friendship, and what could happen to her relationship with Edward left her mind the moment that Edward ducked his head and gently brushed his lips against hers.

Bella gasped at the feeling. She hated how much she enjoyed it. She hated the fact that she was out in the courtyard, past curfew, kissing her best friend's twin brother. Guilt began making her stomach churn. Taking a step back, she pushed gently on his chest, hoping that the distance would help to clear the fog in her head. Bella needed to be able to think.

"No," Edward growled, stepping with her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and pulled her to his chest. "I'm not going to let you over think this, Bella. I care too much about you to let you go. Call me selfish; I don't care. I'm tired of acting like I don't care about you whenever people are around. I'm tired of holding back whenever we're hanging out with Rose."

Bella stared up at him, her eyes wide. She didn't know what to do and she hated it. Bella knew how Edward felt. Every second she spent with him she had butterflies in her stomach. Every second she spent with him she always had to hold back from throwing herself at him. Bella let her mind run wild for a moment as she thought about kissing him, holding his hand, touching him without feeling the need to hide or feel guilty about it. She had to admit, she liked the idea.

_Rosalie_. His twin sister's name popped back up in her mind. Bella wanted to groan loudly and pull her hair out. Why did Rosalie have to say it? Why did Rosalie want to keep her from Edward? If Bella had been thinking clearly, she would have realized that Rosalie wasn't trying to keep _her_ specifically away from Edward. All she was doing was trying to protect her brother and herself.

Too lost in her thoughts, Bella almost didn't notice when Edward lowered his head and began placing soft kisses on her neck.

"Stop thinking, Bella," Edward pleaded, his warm breath sending chills down her spine.

When had Bella ever done anything for herself? As she thought about it, she couldn't remember. She had spent her entire life trying to be the good girl, the good friend, the trustful sister, and the perfect daughter. For once, she wanted to do what she wanted to do, not what anyone expected of her.

Bella leaned her neck slightly to the side, allowing Edward better to her neck. Shoving all thoughts out of her head, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to give into the strange, foreign fire that was beginning to fill and warm her body.

Hesitantly, Bella pushed Edward away from her neck. The look on his face broke her heart. He looked disappointed and dejected, pained and hurt. As she stared into his green eyes, she saw that they were dark with frustration.

Sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and pulled him down so that she didn't have to look up in order to see his face. Surprise replaced Edward's hurt expression, and Bella had to hold back a laugh. Before her mind could run wild with reasons of why what she was doing was wrong, Bella kissed him hard on the mouth. She could feel Edward's lips turning up into a smile as he tightened his arms around her waist.

As she kissed him, Bella couldn't help but think, _Rosalie is going to hate us when she finds out_. She wasn't stupid. Bella knew that her friend would eventually stumble upon their new, dirty little secret. Pushing the guilty feelings aside, Bella tangled her fingers into Edward's dark hair. She couldn't find it in herself to care about Rosalie or about anything else, because in that moment of time, she was in Edward's arms, and when she was in his arms, nothing else in the world seemed to matter.


	2. Edward's Enrolled at RLA

**Thank you to SandiCarr and smexy4smarties over at Project Team Beta for beta-ing this chapter for me.**

* * *

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed  
With who's the best dressed and who's having sex  
Who's got the money, who gets the honeys  
Who's kinda cute and who's just a mess  
And you still don't have the right look  
And you don't have the right friends  
Nothing changes but the faces, the names, and the trends  
High school never ends."

–Bowling For Soup, _High School Never Ends_

_**Edward Cullen**_

1. Edward's Enrolled at RLA

Sixteen-year-old Edward Cullen walked with his twin sister towards the entrance of Ramsay Linne Academy. He heard Rosalie suck in a sharp breath beside him at the sight of the large and intimidating campus. She shifted uneasily on her feet, readjusting her grip on her suitcase.

All around them students were roaming the campus, carrying their belongings to their assigned dorm rooms. The Cullen siblings stood there for a moment, watching as old friends greeted each other with friendly hugs and began chatting about how they had spent their summers. Edward was easily able to pick out the new students by noticing how they were wandering around the campus, looking a little lost as they tried to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings. They reminded him of himself when he first arrived at the elite boarding school a year ago.

Edward turned his head and watched his sister's expression curiously. Up until now, Rosalie had been attending a public school not too far from their mom's house in Chicago. He wasn't sure how she would take being so far away from home.

Edward noticed that her eyes had been drawn to the gorgeous water fountain that rested in the middle of the courtyard. It was like any other that you would see in the garden of a millionaire's home except that theirs had the statue of a lynx, the school mascot, crouching proudly at the base of the fountain. The detail on the lynx was beautifully done. You could see how its upper lip curled high above its sharp teeth, ready to pounce. Edward always thought that the posture of the wild cat showed how fierce the students of Ramsay Linne Academy were; they were proud and strong, and always ready to fight for what was theirs.

Rosalie's green eyes, which both she and Edward had inherited from their father, twinkled with amazement at the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Edward asked, nudging Rosalie playfully.

"Understatement of the year," she breathed in response. The awe that was audible in Rosalie's voice made Edward chuckle.

"Let's head to your dorm room, Rose. These bags are beginning to take a toll on me." Edward grunted dramatically.

"I thought you were supposed to be all cocky and macho." Rosalie giggled. "After all, you are _the_ Edward Cullen, son of the famous director and the successful author."

Edward rolled his eyes teasingly. "Are you suggesting otherwise, Miss Cullen?"

Rosalie giggled again and darted forward as Edward made a grab for her.

"Come on, I want to see my dorm room," she whined impatiently, her voice losing its playfulness as it became anxious.

Edward felt a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. He found her sudden change in attitude childlike, but still adorable.

"Do you remember what hall you're in?" Edward asked, leading the way to where all of the dorm rooms were located. It was a short walk, not too far from the courtyard.

"Yeah, Lawrence Hall."

"That's across from mine. Not too bad of a walk then."

"What hall are you in?" Rosalie wondered.

"Covington," he answered easily.

Edward watched as Rosalie nodded, her eyes staring straight ahead. From the look on her face, her brother knew that she was nervous. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing to worry about and that Ramsay Linne Academy was a great school. However, knowing his sister, the words would just go through one ear and out the other. Instead, Edward threw a casual arm around her shoulder, silently offering sibling support.

"We've been to hell and back, Rose," he murmured, his words only meant for her to hear. "This should be a piece of cake compared to what we went through with Emily. 'Sides, you've got me standing by your side. Nothing can touch you here."

Rosalie let out a breath that Edward assumed she must have been holding. He knew that bringing up their four-year-old sister who had died two years prior would bring back the pain that she had tried to bury so long ago, but he also knew that she wouldn't have heard him if he hadn't of brought up Emily. Edward wasn't one to open up old wounds, but he needed Rosalie to understand that he was there for her no matter what the situation.

Rosalie turned her head and shot Edward an appreciative smile. "Thank you," she murmured, a small smile playing on the corner of her lips.

"It's my job," Edward responded, shrugging coolly.

They were standing in front of Lawrence Hall at that point. Edward held the door open for Rosalie and she smiled at him in thanks. Edward ignored the looks that they got from the girls lounging around. They varied from looks of surprise to glares. He grabbed Rosalie's elbow and led her over to the room listings that were posted on a bulletin board. Edward ran his finger down the names, stopping once he reached Cullen.

"Cullen, Rosalie, sophomore, room 198," Edward read.

He peeked over at Rosalie when he didn't get a response. He realized then that she wasn't paying him any attention. Instead, she was taking in everything around them. Edward glanced around the room, trying to remember what it felt like during his freshman year when everything was so new to him. Even though he had heard that Ramsay Linne Academy was a great boarding school, he was still nervous, just like any normal fifteen-year-old kid would be.

As Edward continued scanning his eyes around the room, they stopped on a girl that was smiling at the two of them. Her skin was a little on the pale side, and her eyes were a dark blue. Edward could see from across the room that they shined with happiness and held a fire that burned bright. Her hair was black and fell in curls a couple of inches past her shoulders. She had a cute face, Edward had to admit.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, trying to see if he recognized her from somewhere, but he came up blank. Her smile was different from the ones that most girls shot at him. Instead of a failed attempt at being seductive, the girl's smile was gentle and genuine. Feeling slightly unsure, Edward grabbed Rosalie's hand and tugged on it gently, finally gaining her attention.

"Yeah?" she mumbled.

"Your room number is 198. Be sure to remember it. It's no fun having to go to the dorm advisor because you forgot which room was yours. Trust me."

His sister's smile was bright and radiated happiness as she dropped her stuff on one of the two beds, the other already having sheets, a comforter, and about a million pillows on it. It was recommended for students to bring their own blankets and whatnot for their beds. The school didn't provide them, and if you forgot, you'd have to wait until the weekend to purchase any.

Ramsay Linne Academy was a wealthy school. They were able to afford things that other boarding school couldn't, luxurious dorm rooms being one of them. Each dorm room was slightly different, usually depending on the hall that it was in. Half of the walls in Rosalie's dorm room were painted a pale green, while the other half were painted a dark pink. It was already furnished with a spotless white couch, two decent sized beds, two white dressers, and an average sized closet.

"What's in there?" she asked, pointing to the door next to the closet.

Dropping his luggage on the ground, Edward sat on the bed that Rosalie had claimed as hers.

"I'm assuming that that's the bathroom."

Rosalie cocked her head to the side. "Really? I thought that boarding schools had shower rooms and what not." Her tone told him that she thought that he was lying to her, teasing her.

Edward shrugged and smiled cheekily at his sister.

"Go check it out for yourself if you don't believe me. This isn't any ordinary boarding school, Rose. You've enrolled at Ramsay Linne Academy."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at his dramatic tone.

"How did the school get its name?" she wondered, her voice intrigued as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "It doesn't sound like a normal school name to me. The boarding school not to far from mom's house in Chicago was called Rosewood Academy."

Edward shrugged again. "The school is still fairly new, and the founders were Marcus and Didyme Ramsay. Marcus gave the school his last name, hence the Ramsay part. As far as I know, I think that Linne was Didyme's middle name. I guess the school was sort of like a tribute to her, as well as their entire family. Marcus was the headmaster for a few years, but he retired not too long ago and gave the job to their eldest son, Caius."

Edward chuckled at the look on Rosalie's face. It was a mixture of awe and fascination. "There's a family portrait in the main hall," he added.

"Really?"

Edward nodded before sighing. "I probably should head to my room. I have to get there before my roommate steals the good bed. I wasn't lucky enough to get a single."

Pouting teasingly, he made Rosalie giggle. After kissing her on the cheek, he turned and headed towards the door, bumping into someone in the process. The petite girl tumbled backwards and would have fallen if Edward hadn't of caught her.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asked, catching the girl around the waist before setting her on her own two feet. As he took a step back, he realized that it was the same blue-eyed girl that he had seen downstairs.

"Yeah," the girl breathed, her voice a tad bit shaky as she stared up at Edward in a daze.

"I'm Edward Cullen," he introduced, holding out his hand. "Rose's older brother." He motioned to Rosalie with a nod of his head. Edward was only older than her by a couple of minutes, but he never let Rosalie forget it.

"Alice Brandon," the girl mumbled shyly, her face turning red. She shook Edward's hand for a brief second before pulling her hand back, almost as if Edward had burned her. "Rose's roommate."

The sound of a soft giggle behind Alice made Edward look up. There, standing behind her friend was a beautiful brunette. She was staring at him with dark brown eyes that were dancing with amusement.

"And you are?" Edward asked, a cocky smirk making its way onto his face.

The girl raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Bella Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you around the campus."

Edward's grimace made both Alice and Bella snicker.

He heard another softer giggle, but this time it came from his sister, who had moved from the couch and was now sitting cross-legged on her new bed. Her eyes were shining with curiosity as she watched him. Edward's grimace was replaced with a small smile, and his green eyes softened when he looked at her. He walked back over to her and wrapped his arms around her small body in a strong, protective hug. He kissed her forehead before pulling away.

"Text me when you get done unpacking, alright?"

"Sure thing, Edward. Now shoo; go get your bed," she teased, her voice soothing and gentle.

Rosalie smiled warmly at him. Edward couldn't help but smile back or the amused chuckle that escaped his lips. He felt content when he saw a real smile light up her face, making her glow. It had been two years since he had seen that smile, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to wait as long before he got to see it again.

_Yeah_, he thought, _convincing dad to let Rosalie transfer here was a great idea_.

After grabbing his bags, Edward smiled kindly at the two girls, glancing at Bella once more, before heading down the hallway.

On the ground floor of every hall that was meant for dorm rooms, there was a lounge where students could relax and socialize. It happened to be one of the many things on the brochure that Edward had shown his father when he was telling him about RLA, before he had given in and allowed him to attend the elite boarding school.

The lounge in Covington Hall was filled with guys ranging from freshmen to seniors. All of them were either sitting on the couches, watching the football game playing on the flat screen, talking to friends, or waiting in line for the elevator.

After making his way over to where the dorm room listings were posted on a bulletin board, Edward searched the papers for his name.

"Cullen, Edward, sophomore, room 227," he read quietly to himself. Edward felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips when he realized that he had been assigned to the same room that he had had the year before.

The line for the elevator was excruciatingly long. Edward was jealous that Lawrence Hall had two elevators whereas Covington Hall only had one. If there was one thing that he thought would improve student life at RLA, it was more elevators in both dorm and school buildings.

After waiting impatiently in line for over five minutes, Edward was relieved when he finally made it to his dorm room. When he opened the door, he scowled when he saw that his roommate had already claimed the good bed. Sighing to himself, Edward dropped his bags onto the bed that he would be sleeping in for the next ten months. The bed squeaked under the weight of the luggage. Edward resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally here," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Edward looked over his shoulder, a wide smile making its way onto his face when he saw who was standing behind him. "Emmett? Seriously? You're my roommate?"

Emmett hadn't changed at all over the summer. His hair was just as brown and just as curly as Edward remembered, and his eyes were still the familiar dark brown that they had always been. Edward noticed that he had gotten snakebites over the summer, probably for his birthday. Edward would have liked to see how his parents reacted to _that_. The thought made him want to laugh and cringe at the same time.

If you were to stick Edward and Emmett next to each other, they'd look strikingly similar. Last year their math teacher had mistaken them for being brothers, despite the two of them having different last names. It was a little more than awkward when parent night rolled around and Mr. Bowns was congratulating Edward's dad, Carlisle, on having two smart kids in the family. Carlisle had found it funny and laughed, but when Emmett's no-nonsense, strict parents found out, they were less than amused. Whenever Carlisle saw Emmett, he still joked about him being the kid he forgot that he had.

"No one else was willing to put up with you," Emmett answered Edward's question with a chuckle, pulling his friend into a one armed hug with a wide grin on his face.

"How was your summer?" Edward asked, moving to start unpacking his clothes.

Emmett went to lie on his bed, leaning against the elegant headboard. "Eh, so-so. My parents made me get a job."

Edward stared at him. "Are you telling me that you actually got off your spoiled, lazy ass and worked this summer?" he asked, his voice and face genuinely shocked.

Emmett glared at him. "I could work if I wanted to!" he insisted, crossing his arms like an irritated child who had just been told that he couldn't have ice cream before dinner.

"Did you want to?" A smirk made its way onto Edward's face, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Okay, I said that I _got_ a job. I never said that it lasted."

Edward snickered at his friend. "What'd you do to get fired?"

"What _didn't_ I do? I never came in on time, was rude to the customers, that sort of thing. I only lasted about two weeks before my parents finally had enough and fired me."

"What was the job?"

"Answering phones at their company. They wanted me to learn responsibility."

Edward couldn't help but snort. "You are anything but responsible."

Emmett nodded and hummed in agreement before pulling out his phone.

"How's Jasper?" Edward wondered after a moment of silence. "Have you seen him since you got here?"

"I got here five days ago, and it's been so boring. Jaz got here yesterday, I think. Maybe the day before that. I don't remember," he answered with a shrug, not looking up from his phone as his thumbs slid across the keyboard. "But, yeah, he's good. He and I chatted the other day during lunch and he told me about how he spent the summer with his aunt and uncle in Texas."

"That's nice," Edward commented as he focused on putting his undershirts away.

"You know, a little bird told me that a certain Cullen transferred here this year. Rosalie, right?"

Edward glared icily at his friend as he resisted the urge to growl like a caveman.

"Emmett, I don't care if you're my friend or not; I want you to leave my sister alone. I'm not going to stand on the sidelines and watch as you play with her until you get bored or something better comes along and break her heart," he growled. Edward's voice was laced with the protectiveness that bubbled up inside of him whenever Rosalie was involved.

Edward wasn't going to let his best friend play with her like she was some kind of toy. He knew that Emmett wouldn't be able to resist at least flirting with her, and he knew that he needed to lay down the law before he even laid his brown eyes on her. When Edward looked over at his friend, Emmett was holding his hands up in surrender and chuckling quietly.

"Chill out, man. I was only joking, gosh. No need to take it so seriously." When Edward didn't laugh and continued to glare at him, Emmett sighed. "Okay, bad joke, I'll admit that."

"Emmett, promise me that you won't mess around with my sister."

"If it means that much to you, then, okay, I promise."

Edward sighed, relieved. "Thanks," he muttered, turning back to his suitcase. Yes, Emmett was a good friend, but Edward knew that it would take nothing short of an amazing woman to ever capture his heart. The longest relationship that Emmett had ever had was probably about a month. But after it ended, Edward heard that he had just been fascinated with the poor girl. He never actually liked Lauren Mallory. Lauren was apparently really quiet and shy, and he wanted to see if he could break her out of her shell. When he accomplished that, she just couldn't hold his attention or interest. Emmett had tried to convince him that Lauren was the one who broke up with him, but Edward never believed him. He was never a very good liar.

Edward had actually seen Lauren on his way into Covington Hall. She looked happy and was holding hands and talking animatedly with Riley Crowley, whom Edward knew was a nice guy. He was happy for her. Lauren was a really sweet girl and she deserved to be happy.

Call it his over-protective nature, but Edward didn't want Rosalie ending up getting hurt the same way that Lauren had.

"Imagine if I started dating Vanessa," Edward said suddenly, turning around and watching in satisfaction as Emmett's face darkened at the mention of his fifteen-year-old sister. Vanessa had considered attending Ramsay Linne Academy with her brother, but eventually, she decided on a boarding school an hour away.

"How would you feel about that? Actually, now that I think about it, I'm going to give her a call later. I haven't seen her since she visited you last year. Who would it hurt, right?" Edward taunted.

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Emmett grumbled.

Edward chuckled and finished unpacking in silence. Just as he shut the last drawer, his cell phone chirped in his jean pocket. Quickly pulling it out, he read the text message from Rosalie, telling him that she had finished unpacking and was hanging out with some new friends in the lounge.

_**Great. Meet me by the fountain so that I can give you a tour of the campus. If you can't remember how to get there, I'm sure your roommate and her friend won't mind helping you. **__**—Edward**_

"Where are you going?" Emmett asked as he watched Edward stand up from his spot on the bed.

"I was planning on showing Rose around the school. Why do you ask?"

"Do you mind if I tag along? I already finished unpacking days ago and I'm bored. I need some entertainment. 'Sides, I want to meet the girl that you're always going on and on about," he said, his voice and face completely innocent, but Edward could see a glint in his eye.

He stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out if Emmett was being truthful of just trying to pull his leg.

"I won't even talk to Rosalie if she doesn't talk to me first, I promise, Edward. No funny business, you have my word," Emmett tried to persuade him.

Sighing, Edward nodded reluctantly. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep Emmett away from Rosalie for long, no matter how much he wanted to or tried.

_Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to regret this later?_ he asked himself as the two of them left their dorm room.

Edward and Emmett walked out of Covington Hall and headed towards the courtyard. When they reached it, Edward stopped in his tracks. He wasn't surprised to see that Rosalie was already there, but he _was_ surprised when he saw that she wasn't alone. One of his best friends, Jasper Whitlock, was sitting next to her. Instead of running forward and grabbing Rosalie and making a run for it like the over-protective brother in him wanted to do, he stayed where he was and watched them curiously.

"What are we waiting for?" Emmett asked impatiently.

Edward waved at him to be quiet. He stared at the two blondes in front of him. Rosalie smiled at whatever Jasper said before the sound of her giggle made its way to his ears. She nodded her head and motioned for him to continue with her hand. Jasper chuckled and smiled warmly at her, a little too warmly for Edward's likings.

If he were being honest with himself, Edward would have admitted that Jasper Whitlock was one of the only guys that attended Ramsay Linne Academy that he would have approved of for Rosalie. Jasper was a good student, here on a scholarship. He came from a good family, all of them good people who were warm and friendly. He was very loyal and a good friend, even if he was a little over confident and cocky at time, but then again, what guy wasn't?

Still, no matter how great a guy Jasper was, Edward still deemed Rosalie too young to have to deal with and understand the overwhelming emotions that came with having a relationship. Yeah, she was only a few minutes younger than him, but no matter how old Rosalie got, Edward would always view her as his little sister. She would always be the girl who used to yell at him to kill the spiders in her room and the girl who was glued to his side as they grew up. In his eyes, there was never an age that stated that Rosalie was officially ready to have a relationship with a guy.

Sighing, Edward started forward with Emmett on his tail.

"Whitlock!" he called loudly, catching the attention of both Jasper and Rosalie.

Jasper turned his head and looked at Edward and Emmett, and Edward saw the familiar devious twinkle in his eye. He turned back to Rosalie and leaned towards her, whispering something in her ear. Rosalie nodded and giggled again. Edward glared as he watched Jasper duck his head and kiss her softly on the cheek. He was about to yell at Jasper and tell him to stop playing around when he jumped up and began walking towards them.

No matter how annoyed he was with his friend in that moment in time, Edward hadn't seen him since school ended. They had emailed and texted each other back and forth throughout the summer, but it wasn't the same as having his friend standing in front of him. Edward pulled him into a one-armed hug, much like the one he had given Emmett earlier.

"I thought that I told you to stay away from Rose," Edward hissed quietly as he pulled away. He had emailed Jasper over the summer to tell him that Rosalie was transferring to RLA, and he also tacked on a message at the end of the email saying that he expected him to leave her alone.

Edward chanced a glance over at Rosalie and noticed that she was watching the three of them with an amused smile on her face. When she noticed Edward was staring at her, she winked at him. He glared at her, and watched as she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

Jasper's snickering fueled Edward's annoyance, bringing his attention back to his friends.

"Actually, you told me not to go for her," Jasper corrected with a cocky smile on his face. "You never said that I couldn't talk to her."

Edward opened his mouth, most likely to snap at Jasper, but he was cut off.

"Calm down, Edward. I wasn't hitting on her. God, you don't honestly think that I'd go after her, do you? I know how protective you are of her, and with good reason. She's just too innocent and naïve for her own good.

"And before you yell at me, I was only telling her stories about all of the trouble that we used to get into last year. She's really sweet, Eddie. You're going to be fighting guys off with a stick 'cause I can guarantee you right now that she is going to be the girl of many guys' dreams this year."

Edward ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I know," he admitted. "What stories were you telling her?"

Jasper's lips turned up into a smile, and his eyes shined with humor. "I told her a lot of stories. I even told her about the time that you snuck a girl into your dorm room after curfew and how you got caught in a . . ." He coughed, poorly hiding a snicker. "I told her how you got caught in a rather _compromising_ position by the DA."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Like you haven't done it," he muttered, looking away and cursing the fact that his face was turning red. Both Jasper and Emmett laughed at him when they noticed.

"Oh, trust me, I have," Jasper said. "I was just smart enough not to get caught."

His friends began laughing again. Edward, annoyed with their childish behavior, pushed past Jasper and muttered "jerks" under his breath. He sighed when he sat down next to Rosalie. Leaning forward, Edward rested his arms on his knees and turned his head to look at her.

"What else did Jasper tell you?" he wondered.

She giggled shyly and ducked her head. Edward didn't take that as a good sign. He was worried that Jasper might have told her every embarrassing story that he could think of.

Rosalie shifted on the bench so that she was facing her brother and brought her legs up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her kneecaps.

"You were quite the badass, weren't you?" she asked playfully, the smirk on her face an exact replica of Edward's.

Edward chuckled and rolled his eyes. "What can I say? My roommate brings out the worst in me."

Rosalie smiled at him just as Jasper and Emmett walked up.

"I heard that," Emmett grumbled.

"But it's the truth," Jasper added.

Rosalie's eyes wandered over to the two boys. After glancing at them, she turned to Edward and cocked an expectant eyebrow.

"Rose, this is my best friend Jasper Whitlock, whom you've already met." Jasper winked at Rosalie, and she laughed softly, smiling up at him. "And this is my roommate, Emmett McCarty."

Rosalie unwrapped an arm from around her knees and held her hand out to Emmett. He glanced at Edward for a brief moment before stepping forward and shaking her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rosalie. Edward talks about you all the time," Emmett said, a polite smile on his face.

Rosalie nodded and smiled back halfheartedly. "The pleasure is all mine."

Standing up, Edward held his hand out to his sister.

"Come on, Rose. I want to get the tour over with before it gets too dark out," Edward muttered.

Rosalie nodded and placed her small hand in his, and he helped her to stand up. She waved goodbye to her brother's friends before following after Edward.

"Your friends are certainly interesting," Rosalie murmured, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Yeah, they definitely are something."

"I like Jasper. He's funny."

"Listen, Rose—" But he never got to finish his sentence because Rosalie cut him off.

"Before you say anything, Edward, just know that I don't and probably won't ever like any of your friends in any way besides friendly, okay?"

"I know," Edward sighed. "It's just that, if you ever started dating, I wouldn't want you to date any of my friends."

"And I understand that, and I promise you that I won't. But I want _you_ to understand that when I find a guy that I like, and I will, I want you to back off. I don't want you to go all macho-over-protective-brother on him, okay?"

"I guess I can't keep you from dating for long, huh? Just promise me something, Rose."

"Anything."

"Don't rush into a relationship. Get to know the guy before you commit to him, alright? I don't want you to rush in thinking that he's one thing only to find out that he's the complete opposite. Be friends before you start dating, learn everything about him. Those are the relationships that last. It's something that I wish I had done with Angela," Edward murmured.

"I will, I promise. Thanks for looking out for me, Edward."

"No problem. Now, let's finish the tour before dinner."

Rosalie nodded in agreement. Edward led her to the main parts of the campus that she would be frequently passing through in order to get to her classes, not wanting to bombard her too much on her first day.

"This campus is huge," Rosalie breathed, trying to look everywhere at once.

"Not really," Edward said. "If you were to circle the area that only applied to sophomores on a school map, you'd find that it's actually kind of small."

"What do you mean?"

"Every building only teaches one grade level. There are seven buildings for all sophomores. Michael Ray Hall has all humanities classes, Overhage Hall is math, Baynes Hall is science, Daniel James Hall is P.E. and health, which is just basically where all the gyms and locker rooms are, Gabriel Hall is foreign language, Alexys Hall is for all extracurricular classes, and last but not least, R-jhay Hall for all AP classes."

"Wow. So one building holds only one class?"

Edward nodded. "Mmhmm. But we have a large student body so we need a lot of classrooms. RLA is still a fairly new school, so everything is up to date."

"Where are we now?"

"This is where you'll cross through when you're heading to your classes. Here you have all of the food and students stores and whatnot. Ramsay Linne Academy is a unique boarding school for many reasons. Some of which is the fact that we have a lot of restaurants and cafés on campus. On the weekends, the school has busses that take us over to Jakaylaville, which is a small town that has a few shops and restaurants."

"Seriously?" Rosalie's eyes widened.

Edward chuckled. "Yes. Anyway, when it's time for any meal, we usually go to the mess hall first to see what's there, but if you don't want the food that the school's serving, you would just come out here and order from one of the restaurants. Either way you have to pay. They have a wide variety in food, so there's always something good to eat. Whether you choose to eat what the mess hall is serving or at a restaurant, you would swipe your student ID card, and they'll charge you for everything at the end of the month, like a bill. But, for the first few days until we get our student IDs, we have to pay by cash or a credit or debit card if you have one."

"Edward?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"I think I'm going to like it here."


	3. Alice Spots the Cullen Twins

**Author's Note: Many thank yous to Kimmydonn and the-masticator over at Project Team Beta for beta'ing this chapter for me.**

**Before you read, there are three very important things you need to know. **

**1) This chapter is kind of boring, but hopefully you'll feel differently. There's more Bella/Edward interaction in the next chapter. It'll get better soon, trust me. I can't wait to post chapter five, but I don't know how you'll react to that. **

**2) I'm warning you now that in my story, Bella and Edward aren't going to magically fall in love after staring deeply into each other's eyes. In my opinion, people fall in love over time, not at first sight. Just warning you. Don't expect Eddie to suddenly get the guts to ask Bella out on the date within the next few chapters. That's not going to happen. Just give them time.**

**3) It's mentioned in this chapter that Alice has a crush on Edward. I'm telling you now that _NOTHING WILL EVER HAPPEN BETWEEN THEM!_ Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Eventually, they'll become friends and all that, but NOTHING will ever happen between them. Not even a little peck on the cheek. Brotherly/sisterly affection hopefully, but nothing romantic. The only reason why I did that is because I wanted to add in a little more drama towards the middle of the story. I wanted to have fun with the characters. Sue me.**

* * *

"Boys boys boys  
We like boys in cars  
Boys boys boys  
Buy us drinks in bars  
Boys boys boys  
With hairspray and denim  
Boys boys boys  
We love them! We love them!

Baby is a bad boy  
With some retro sneakers  
Let's go see The Killers  
And make out in the bleachers  
I like you a lot lot  
Think you're really hot hot."

–Lady Gaga, _Boys Boys Boys_

_**Isabella Swan**_

2. Alice Spots the Cullen Twins

"Oh my god, why do you have to be so _slow_?" Alice Brandon complained as she tugged on the hand of her best friend, trying to drag her towards the mess hall for a snack.

Bella Swan snickered in response and proceeded to dig the heels of her sneakers into the pavement, forcing them to slow even more.

"Calm down, Alice. What's the rush? The world isn't going anywhere," Bella told her, an amused smile making its way onto her pretty face.

Rolling her eyes and huffing, Alice dropped Bella's hand the moment that the words left Bella's mouth. "Fine, then," she muttered.

Bella laughed and nudged her with her shoulder. "Don't you dare get huffy with me, missy," she said teasingly.

Alice grumbled under breath, but followed Bella as she began wandering around the campus. Whenever they bumped into someone that had been in any of their classes from the previous year, they made an effort to make small talk with them and ask them how their summer had gone. The majority of the conversations became awkward after the first few minutes, and usually someone found an excuse to leave. After a few uncomfortable chats, the two girls headed to the mess hall before going back to Lawrence Hall to hang out in the lounge. Bella curled up on the only open couch and turned to her best friend of four years.

"So . . ." she started, trying to think of something to say. "Did you ever find out who you're rooming with this year?"

A small smile replaced Alice's annoyed expression, which made Bella furrow her brow. _What was so good about having a roommate?_ she wondered. Bella had been so excited when she found out that she had been assigned to a single, and overjoyed when she found out that she was also on the same floor as Alice.

"Apparently," Alice started, "my roommate's name is . . . Are you ready for this? Rosalie Cullen."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Cullen? As in _Edward_ Cullen?"

"Yes," Alice giggled gleefully.

It was no secret to Bella that Alice had had a crush on Edward ever since she was assigned to the seat behind him in biology the previous year. Even though Edward didn't really pay her much attention, it didn't discourage her. Bella had tried to convince her to go for a guy that actually remembered her name, but Alice was as stubborn as a mule. Bella actually felt a little bad for Rosalie, and she hoped that Alice wouldn't do anything stupid in order to get Edward's attention.

"What are you going to do?" she wondered aloud, peeking at Alice from the corner of her eye.

Alice shrugged coolly. "I really don't know. Maybe try not to hyperventilate if he ever comes within two feet of me?"

Bella threw her head back and laughed, her shoulders shaking gently. "Honey, you're not going to hyperventilate. He's just a guy. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Just a guy, she says," Alice muttered, looking away.

Bella could see her face turning red. Giggling, Bella leaned her head back against the plush couch. She closed her eyes and fought the urge to take a little cat nap.

"Oh my god," Alice breathed.

Bella cracked an eye open and saw that Alice's eyes were trained on the entrance of Lawrence Hall. She followed her friend's gaze to see Edward Cullen heading towards the bulletin board near one of the elevators with a girl at his side.

"Do you think that's Rosalie?" Alice questioned, making an effort to keep her voice down. They weren't the only ones who had noticed the Cullen twins walk in.

"Who else would it be?" Bella responded.

Staring at the girl she assumed to be Rosalie Cullen, she had to admit that good looks ran in the family. Unlike Edward who had messy, light brownish hair with natural copper highlights, Rosalie's hair was a few shades lighter. She was lucky enough to have beautiful and seemingly natural dirty blonde hair.

From her spot on the couch, Bella could see that Rosalie's facial structure was a feminine version of her brother's. Her figure was one that most girls at the school would kill for, and Bella could already see some of the girls in lounge glaring at the poor girl.

Rosalie glanced around the room then, and Bella realized that the siblings shared similar eye shape and color in addition to similar facial structure. Rosalie looked so delicate and breakable to Bella. Judging just by her looks, she assumed Rosalie to be sweet and genuine.

If Bella doubted that they weren't siblings before, there wasn't an ounce of doubt remaining when Rosalie looked her in the eye. Bella quickly smiled at her, offering her a small wave. Rosalie smiled back timidly before ducking her head shyly. Bella laughed softly, finding Rosalie Cullen utterly darling.

"She's beautiful," Alice murmured.

Bella found herself nodding in agreement. "Like brother like sister."

After Edward and Rosalie disappeared behind the elevator doors, Alice turned to Bella. "Do you want to head to your room? In my opinion, it's getting a little too crowded in here."

"Tell me about it," Bella grumbled distastefully, glancing around the cramped room. "Come on, Ally." She stood up and held her hand out to help Alice up.

When they got to the fourth floor, Bella led the way to her room. She headed straight for the black couch after unlocking the door, picking up her acoustic guitar on the way. Sitting on the arm of the couch, she began strumming lazily on the guitar.

"What am I going to do? Why do I feel so nervous?" Alice mumbled to herself as she fell back on Bella's bed.

"Just be yourself and calm down, Alice. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, it's just Edward Cullen. Like I said before, he's _just_ a guy."

"He's not just a guy, Bella! Why can't you seem to understand that he's Edward freaking Cullen?"

Bella couldn't help laughing loudly at her friend. "Do you hear yourself, Alice? Since when do you get so worked up over a guy?"

Alice sighed. "I don't know," she groaned. "You're right though; he's just a guy . . . Will you play for me? Just to calm my nerves?"

Bella smiled softly at Alice before leaning forward. After a few moments of soothing music, she began singing Alice's favorite song. She looked up and winked at her friend.

"_You make me smile like the sun, fall outta bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record crazy on a Sunday night. You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild. Oh, you make me smile. Don't know how I lived without you, 'cause every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes . . . You make me smile._"

When Bella stopped playing, she looked up from the guitar, she could see that her friend was smiling widely.

"Thank you, Belle," Alice said warmly.

Bella couldn't help but smile. She leaned the guitar against the side of the couch and turned to face Alice. "Come on, Ally. Shall we go and meet your new roommate?"

Standing up, Bella grabbed Alice's hand, practically dragging her down the hall and to Alice's dorm room. The door was wide open and both girls peeked inside and watched as Edward kissed his sister's cheek.

As he pulled away from Rosalie, Bella pushed Alice into the room, then lingered in the doorway.

Alice glared icily at Bella, who shrugged and smiled sheepishly in response. Edward, unaware of Alice's presence, turned and accidentally bumped into her. Alice stumbled back and almost fell, but Edward caught her around the waist.

Bella snickered quietly to herself. "Smooth," she muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asked, his voice mildly concerned.

"Yeah," Alice mumbled shyly. Bella watched as her face turned red.

"I'm Edward Cullen. Rose's older brother," he said, holding out his hand.

Bella thought for a moment that Alice was going to faint as she shook his hand and introduced herself. She felt bad for pushing her—literally—into doing something that she clearly wasn't prepared for. Maybe Alice hadn't been kidding when she had said that she hoped not to hyperventilate in Edward's presence.

As she watched her friend, the feisty Alice that Bella was so used to disappeared and was replaced by one of the shyest people Bella had ever seen. She couldn't help the amused giggle that escaped her mouth. Bella regretted it the moment Edward looked at her over Alice's shoulder.

Bella sucked in a sharp breath when she looked into Edward's green eyes. She realized then why Alice had a crush on him. That boy was dangerous; she knew it from the way that his eyes made her heart beat faster and her blood rush in her veins, but still, this was Alice's crush. After forcing herself to calm down, she blinked her eyes and stared back at Edward.

"And you are?" he asked.

Bella resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw his lips turn up into a cocky smirk. He may have been pretty, but that didn't make him any different from every other guy on campus, she realized. Bella wanted to snort at him but instead she raised an eyebrow.

"Bella Swan. Pleasure to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you around the campus."

His grimace made Bella snicker.

The sound of Rosalie's soft giggle made Bella look over at her. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had heard it. Bella watched as Edward moved over to Rosalie, a new look in his eyes. His grimace disappeared as an adoring smile took over his face. Both Alice and Bella watched as he hugged Rosalie for a few long seconds.

"Text me when you get done unpacking, alright?" he murmured quietly.

"Sure thing, Edward," Rosalie replied, smiling up at him. "Now shoo; go get your bed."

Bella could see from the interaction with his sister that he loved her very much. It warmed her heart and reminded her of her older sister, felt a pain in her heart as she thought of her. She hadn't seen her since the beginning of summer. Bella was closer to Victoria than she was with any other person, including Alice.

"You okay, Bella?" Alice asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere," Bella sighed. She looked around the room and noticed that Edward had left.

"So, Rose," Bella started, sitting on the edge of Alice's bed, "do you prefer Rose or Rosalie?"

"Rosalie, please," she mumbled quietly.

"I'm Bella Swan, and this is my friend Alice Brandon, otherwise known as your roommate," Bella introduced.

"How do you like our lovely school so far?" Alice asked, taking a seat next Bella.

Rosalie shrugged. "I haven't really seen that much of it so I can't really say." She moved off of her bed and dragged her suitcase over to the empty dresser.

"I feel kind of bad for you," Bella said suddenly, leaning back on the bed.

"Why?" Rosalie asked, her voice curious, but not as nice and gentle as when she had been talking to her brother.

"Because you're Edward's sister. There are so many girls on campus that wish they were lucky enough to date him. You're going to have to be careful about who you're friends with. You'll never know whether they're genuine or just want to get closer to Edward."

"How do I know that that's not what the two of you are trying to do right now?" Rosalie asked, her voice icy and sharp.

The change in tone startled Bella, but she recovered quickly.

She giggled and sat up. "Trust me, doll face, yeah, Edward's attractive. I won't deny that because God knows that it's the truth, but honestly? I could care less about him. You can trust me on that. Alice may have a little crush on him, but we're not like half of the spoiled nitwits around here who don't care who they hurt as long as they get what they want," Bella said, her voice genuine and sincere.

"Bella," Alice hissed, glaring at her friend. Her face was red with embarrassment and anger. It took Bella a moment to realize what she had just revealed to Rosalie. She looked down shamefully.

"Look," Rosalie started, her face conflicted. "If you both honestly want to be my friends, can you please promise me something?"  
"Of course," Bella said softly, looking apologetically at Alice, planning to that she'd make it up to her later.

"Can you please _not_ go after Edward? Either of you?"

They both looked at her as soon as the words left her mouth. Bella couldn't help but cock a questioning eyebrow.

"Can I ask why?" Alice asked, her face still red.

"It's just, I love Edward. He's my brother and I don't . . . I don't want a repeat of what happened about a year ago. We were staying with my dad for the summer, and Angela, who I had been friend with since I was a kid, well, she started crushing on Edward. He had just gotten out of his awkward pre-teen stage, and, you know, girls were starting to notice him.

"They ended up hitting it off and started going out, but when things ended badly, they started fighting. Angela told me that she wasn't going to be my friend anymore because my brother had broken her heart. I lost my best friend. Is it wrong for me not to want that to happen again?"

"I'm sorry," Alice offered, smiling sadly.

"It's alright. I got over it. To be honest, Angela wasn't the nicest person. I can see why Edward broke it off with her."

"I promise that I won't date your brother," Bella said.

"Same here."

"Thank you," Rosalie mumbled, looking relieved as she smiled gratefully at them.

Rosalie was more open with them after that. The two girls helped her unpack and they soon found themselves sprawled out on a couch in the lounge.

"That's Maria Santiago. She's what you would call the preppy, over-achiever. I think she has a thing for Jasper, one of your brother's friends, but I'm not sure," Bella said as she discreetly pointed at a black haired girl.

They had spent the past fifteen minutes pointing out all of the girls in the lounge, and telling Rosalie what kind of a person they were. On occasion, they told her the gossip that was already running around the school.

"That's Leah Clearwater and Jessica Stanley. I would advise that you stay away from them. They've had a thing for your brother since freshman year and have been shamelessly throwing themselves at him ever since," Alice advised, pointing discreetly at a brunette and redhead. "Jessica is the nicer of the two, and is actually half-way decent on a good day."

Rosalie snickered and nodded.

"Oh, and that's Lauren Mallory. She's one of the sweetest girls that you will ever meet. She used to go out with Emmett McCarty. I think he was your brother's roommate last year. She's going out with Riley Crowley, and has been since last year. I'm not surprised that they made it through the summer. Their relationship seems pretty solid to me. Riley used to date Bella, though."

"What happened?" Rosalie wondered, looking over Alice and at Bella.

Bella shrugged. "It was a mutual break up. We were more friends than anything else. We went out for about a month, but there was just no spark, ya know? I was the one who talked him into asking Lauren out. I knew that she liked him and I had a hunch that Riley did, too. We're still friends, and I get along okay with Lauren. I won't lie, though, it's awkward for me whenever I see her hugging the guy who stole my first kiss."

"That was very sweet of you." Rosalie smiled warmly at her.

"What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart."

Rosalie pulled out her cell phone while Alice and Bella continued talking about what a cute couple Lauren and Riley made.

"Hey, I'm supposed to meet Edward by the fountain in the courtyard. I kind of don't remember how to get there. Do you think you'd mind showing me?" Rosalie asked shyly.

"Of course, come on," Alice said, standing up from the couch.

They walked out of Lawrence Hall, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. When the three girls were in sight of the fountain, someone tapped Rosalie on the shoulder.

"Yes?" Rosalie asked, turning and looking at a guy who had dirty blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. He had his right eyebrow pierced. It took a moment, but Bella recognized him as Jasper Whitlock.

"You wouldn't happen to be Rosalie Cullen, would you?" he asked curiously, smiling sweetly.

"That depends on who's asking," Rosalie replied, frowning slightly.

Jasper smirked and chuckled. "Sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Jasper Whitlock, one of your brother's friends."

Before Rosalie could open her mouth to say more, Alice grabbed Bella's arm and began backing away from the two of them.

"Bye, Rosalie! See you later!" Alice called.

Bella snickered and winked at Rosalie's shocked face.

"See you back at the dorm!"

Rosalie glared at their retreating forms. Her glare hardened when she heard Jasper snickering beside her.

* * *

Bella had to admit that she felt bad about leaving Rosalie to fend for herself with a boy that she didn't even know. _It's not like I threw her in the lions den_, she thought to herself in defense. _I know Jasper. We worked on a school project last year. He's a good guy_.

Besides, it wasn't like Jasper was about to hurt his best friend's sister. Edward had a temper, and everyone that attended the school, both the staff and the students, knew that. It took a lot to set him off, but Bella knew that if his twin sister was involved, his temper would rival that of an erupting volcano.

Sighing, Bella threw herself down onto her bed, glancing at Alice who was sprawled out across the couch, listening to her iPod.

"How come you haven't gone back to your room yet?" Bella asked, craning her neck so that she could see her friend. "You've been in here for the past hour and a half, and curfew's in a couple hours, you know. School starts tomorrow. You're going to want a good night's sleep."

Alice sighed and pulled the headphones out of her ears. "I don't want to chance running into Edward again," she admitted in a quiet voice.

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, come on, Alice. Don't be like that. It wasn't _that_ bad," she soothed.

"It wasn't that bad? Bella, I humiliated myself!" Alice cried hysterically.

Bella had to resist the urge to laugh. "No, you didn't humiliate yourself, Ally. You would have humiliated yourself if you had been so nervous that you threw up on the guy. All you did was trip. Do you remember my older sister from that time you came home with me in the summer of seventh grade?"

"Yeah, her name is Victoria, right?"

Bella nodded. "She met her fiancé by tripping and landing on top of him in a coffee shop, spilling hot coffee all over him while she was at it. Look at them now; they're about to get married."

Alice giggled at the story. "Way to break the ice, huh? When is the big day?"  
"Sometime next year. They haven't decided yet. Hey, speaking of which, do you want to go with me to the wedding?"

"Really? I wouldn't want to impose . . ." Bella could see the excitement beneath the surface of Alice's blue eyes and it made her smile.

"You wouldn't be imposing. Victoria told me that I could bring whoever I wanted, and I want to bring you."

"I haven't been to a wedding since my cousin remarried. Are you in the wedding party?"

"Yeah, I'm the maid of honor. I feel bad that I'm not there to help plan the wedding, though. Looks like you're going to be stuck sitting next to my crazy family members during the ceremony."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Bella chuckled at Alice's gleeful expression and called for whoever it was to come in. They both looked up when the door opened and Rosalie poked her head in.

"Hey," Bella greeted, leaning up on her elbows.

"Um, hi," Rosalie mumbled.

"You don't have to stand in the doorway," Alice told her. "Feel free to take a seat." She motioned to the plush black chair next to her.

Rosalie looked around Bella's room as she made her way to the chair. Bella had already decorated it with pictures and even a few posters.

"How come the colors in here are different than ours?" she asked. She sank into the chair and leaned back, crossing her legs Indian style.

Bella shrugged, looking around at the black and dark purple walls that surrounded them. "Every dorm room is different," she said simply. "I'm pretty sure that you didn't come here just to see if my walls were the same colors as yours." Bella eyed Rosalie with a small smile on her face.

Rosalie's lips twitched. "Alright, you caught me. I actually wanted to see if you both wanted to have dinner with me."

Bella turned her head and looked over that the alarm clock that rested on the nightstand next to her bed. It shined 6:42 in bright red numbers. When she looked back at Rosalie, her stomach rumbled loudly, making Bella smile sheepishly.

"Yeah, I could use a bite to eat."

"I'm down," Alice said, moving to a sitting position.

"Mmm, I'm craving Chinese," Bella hummed.

Rosalie laughed, curling her feet under her on the chair. "Is there a Chinese place on campus? Edward told me that RLA has a variety of restaurants."

"Yes, this school is amazing. There are a couple of Chinese places, but from past experience, one shines above the rest," Alice told her.

"Where is it?"  
"Across campus," Bella told her, pulling out her cell phone. "Do you want to know what's really cool though?"

"What?"

"They deliver."

Rosalie and Alice snickered while Bella dialed the number. She told them to make a list of what they wanted.

"They'll be here in a half an hour," Bella told them after she hung up.

The three girls spent the time talking and getting to know one another. When the food finally came, Bella went to the door and paid the delivery boy. Everyone grabbed the box that held the food that they ordered, as well as a pair of chopsticks.

"Mmm," Rosalie groaned after she took her first bite. "This is so good!"

"I know, right? They have the best Chinese on campus."

"Listen, Rosalie, I'm sorry about leaving you with Jasper," Bella started. "We were just messing around and thought that it'd be funny. I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable."

To her surprise, Rosalie giggled.

"It's no problem, really. Jasper's a great guy."

"What happened after we left?" Alice wondered.

"Well, I told him that I was supposed to meet Edward over by the water fountain and he sat with me on a bench in front of it. He told me stories about all of the trouble that he, Emmett, and Edward got in last year. I never thought of my brother as a badass before, but I guess that's what everyone here views him as."

"I wouldn't really say that, but some of the girls here are a little obsessed with him," Alice giggled while rolling her eyes.

"Like Leah and Jessica," Bella added, pointing her chopsticks at Rosalie.

Rosalie snickered. "He told me this summer that he hates all of the attention that he gets here. It makes him uncomfortable when girls throw themselves at him."

"Who would have thought that?" Bella mused.

"So, I was thinking," Alice started, changing the subject. "Since school starts tomorrow, why don't we head to the little café not too far from here for breakfast? Quinton's Café?"

"Sounds good to me," Bella said.

"What about you, Rosalie?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, taking a sip of her Coke.

"Do you want to go and get some breakfast before school starts tomorrow?"

"Sure, sounds great."

Bella woke up the next morning to her alarm clock blaring loudly at six o'clock. Groaning, she smacked it, hitting the snooze button before snuggling back into her bed. Just as she was about to fall back to sleep, someone began banging on her door.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" Alice yelled. "Get your ass out of bed before I break your door down!"

Bella groaned into her mattress before chucking a pillow at the door.

"Leave me alone!"

"Get out of bed!"

"Ten more minutes!"

"Don't you dare hit that snooze button, young lady!"

The alarm started beeping again, making Bella jump. After turning it off, she sat up and huffed, running a hand through her tangled hair.

"Bella!"

"I'm up, I'm up!"

Bella climbed out of bed, grumbling under her breath as she made her way into the bathroom. She had never happier that Ramsay Linne Academy had ensuite bathrooms than at that moment of time. After taking her sweet time in the shower—mostly to tick off Alice—Bella climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel before deciding what to wear for the first day of her sophomore year.

After staring at the clothes surrounding her in her closet, Bella finally sighed and grabbed a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a plain, long sleeved blue tee-shirt. She slipped on the two bangles that Victoria had gotten her for Christmas two years ago.

When she was done blow drying her hair, Bella ran a brush through it. Her chocolate brown hair stopped at the middle of her back and was a cross between wavy and curly. It was rare for Bella to ever straighten it. Deciding against pulling it up into a ponytail, she left it down, tucking a few strands behind her ear. She grabbed her bag and pulled on her favorite pair of Chucks before heading out into the hallway.

Maneuvering her way around the bodies that were crowding the hallway, Bella finally made it to room 198. Knocking on the door only once, Bella didn't bother waiting for an invitation before walking in.

Rosalie was sitting on her neatly made bed, pulling on a pair of cute grey flats. She was dressed in a pair of blue denim shorts that stopped a few inches above her knees, and a black and pink off the shoulder tee-shirt. The outfit was cute, and Bella made a mental note to ask to borrow it sometime. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, and Bella could see that wore a light layer of makeup, though she didn't need it in Bella's opinion.

Rosalie looked up at Bella and cocked an eyebrow. Bella could see that her eyes were tired, and it looked as if she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep the night before. She could see purple bags under Rosalie's eyes that she had attempted to cover up with makeup. You wouldn't have been able to see them if you weren't looking for them, but Bella always had a sharp eye.

"Good morning," Bella said before she dropped her bag on the floor and fell back on Alice's bed, landing on the mattress with a soft thud.

"Morning," Rosalie mumbled through a yawn.

Bella chuckled tiredly. "Did she wake you up, too?"

Rosalie nodded. "Her alarm woke me up at five-thirty. She wouldn't let me go back to sleep."

"She banged on my door and ordered me against hitting the snooze button," Bella laughed. "Good luck with that. She was my roommate last year. The only time you'll get to sleep in past nine on the weekends is if she gets sick."

"I heard that!" Alice called from the bathroom.

Bella and Rosalie were laughing quietly when Alice came out from the bathroom. Alice huffed and glared at them as she grabbed her bag off of one of the dressers.

Bella snorted to herself when she saw that Alice was wearing a white sun dress. Alice was always looking for an excuse to wear a dress, and Bella really shouldn't have been surprised.

"What are we waiting for? Sophomore year is waiting!"

Bella rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed. The three girls walked out of the crowded Lawrence Hall and headed over to Quinton's Café, which Alice had mentioned the night prior. They ordered their coffee, some croissants, and sat down at a table near the doors.

"God, I feel so nervous," Rosalie mumbled, tearing off a piece of her croissant and popping it into her mouth.

Bella looked over at her and smiled gently. "It's alright to feel nervous, you know. I was freaking out the first day of school my freshman year. Alice and I both were. Thank god we arrived a week before school started so we could familiarize ourselves with the campus."

Rosalie sighed. "I didn't get a week! I only got a day!"

"Don't worry, hon," Alice said, patting her hand in a maternal way. "We'll show you to your classes. Do you have your schedule with you?"

She nodded and pulled it out of her bag while Alice and Bella did the same. They compared schedules and found that Rosalie had first period science and fourth period humanities with Alice, and fifth period math with Bella. Alice and Bella also shared third period health and P.E.

"Well, at least I have one class with each of you," Rosalie sighed.

"You'll be fine, Rosalie," Bella soothed. "The majority of the students here are actually really nice, with a few exceptions, of course. If you need help finding some of your classes, just ask. If you're not comfortable talking to a student, ask a teacher."

Rosalie nodded and nursed her coffee, while Bella nibbled on her croissant and yawned quietly.

"Didn't you get enough sleep last night, Bella?" Alice asked curiously.

Bella glared at her. "Oh, I would have been able to sleep some more if _someone_ hadn't woken me up at six in the morning!" she hissed.

Alice giggled, smiling sheepishly at her. "I was excited about a new school year," she explained with a shrug.

"I'll say," Rosalie muttered, making Bella laugh.

"I can see you waking me up, Ally, but come on, why'd you have to wake up Rosalie? She's only known you for a day and I bet you were either jumping up and down on her bed or trying to drag her out of it."

"Actually, she pulled off all of my blankets and then chucked a pillow or two at me when I didn't get up," Rosalie told her, laughing a little.

Bella giggled while Alice blushed.

"You'll get used to it," Bella assured Rosalie.

Alice glanced at her watch and saw that school would be starting in a few minutes. After telling her friends, they paid for their drinks and grabbed their bags, heading to the sophomore section of the campus.

"Every day, we have study hall first, which you can spend where ever you want, doing whatever you want. It's more of a free period, but we're supposed to go to our first period for free period the first day of school," Alice told her as they neared the science building.

Bella hugged each of her friends and told them that she would save a table for them at lunch before heading down towards Michael Ray Hall for her humanities class. After glancing at her schedule to check what room to head to, Bella walked to room 115 on the third floor. She sighed when she saw that the room was already almost full. One of the only open seats was next to a girl who looked slightly familiar, and Bella was quick to claim it. The brunette was talking to a black haired girl, who Bella recognized at Maria Santiago. The brunette turned to Bella the moment that she sat down.

"Hi," the brunette greeted, smiling kindly as she held out her hand. "I'm Charlotte Sarantakos, but my friends call me Charley."

"Nice to meet you, Charley, I'm Bella Swan. Are you new here?"

"No, I've actually been attending Ramsay Linne Academy since freshman year, but they have so many students here that I figured it was safe to say that I didn't know everyone in my grade."

Bella laughed. "Hey, aren't you Mrs. Sarantakos' daughter? The science teacher?"

"Yeah, but please don't ask me whether or not I can get you an A in that class. Three people have already asked me that this morning and it's starting to get annoying."

Snickering, Bella shook her head. "Trust me, I have no problems in the science department."

Charlotte was about to respond, but the teacher interrupted her. She smiled and shrugged at Bella before turning towards the front of the room.

"Attention please!" the teacher called from the front of the classroom. After everyone quieted down, the teacher smiled warmly at the class. "My name is Mrs. Laughlin and I teach humanities here at Ramsay Linne Academy . . ."

Bella zoned out after that. It was the same speech as last year, and to be honest, it was dull, boring, and sounded rehearsed. She glanced around the room out of pure boredom. Her eyes stopped short on a guy who was sitting in the back of the room, staring out the window. He seemed to sense that someone was looking at him and turned his head until he was staring at Bella. Riley Crowley smiled politely at Bella, and she responded with a small wave. They stared at each other for a few more seconds before Bella looked away.

She didn't even acknowledge that there was a possibility that he would be in any of her classes. Bella didn't think too much about it though, because a few moments later, her phone vibrated in her pocket and made her jump. Looking around, she saw that Mrs. Laughlin had stopped talking and was sitting at her desk. Everyone around the room was talking to someone, a few leaning over the aisle to talk to a friend.

As discreetly as she could, Bella pulled out her cell phone.

_**F.Y.I we finally have a date for the wedding! Mach 24th! Ahhh, I'm so excited! It should be during Spring Break. Bring whoever you want, just give me and mom a heads up, k? –Vicky**_

Bella's face lit up with a beaming smile. Before she replied to the text message, she glanced around the room again to see if anyone was watching her.

_**I'm so happy for you! Can't wait for Spring Break! So far only Alice is coming with me, but I'm thinking of asking Ally's roommate Rosalie to come with us. Have fun planning it all! :) –Belle**_


	4. Rosalie Has A Broken Heart

**Author's Note: Thanks to Lezlee and Dani Werner over at Project Team Beta for beta-ing my chapter for me. You were a big help.**

* * *

"Don't cry  
Open up your eyes and know  
There's someone else out there that feels this way

I'm singing to you  
'Cause I know what you've been through and now  
It's not so long ago I felt the same

Like soldiers, march on  
If we can make it through the night will see the sun  
March on, march on."

–Good Charlotte, _March On_

_**Edward Cullen**_

3. Rosalie Has a Broken Heart

Edward hated the first day of school. There was always a bunch of unnecessary chaos and excitement. Girls dressed to impress, which he never understood. To him, there was never a reason to look good for school. Guys always acted like they didn't care, which he knew was a lie. Last year, there had been a couple of guys from Covington Hall that were late to first period because they spent all morning perfecting their hair.

Edward hated school, but no matter how much he hated it, it never stopped him from getting good grades. He knew that he'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble with his parents if he ever got anything less than a B. So far, he'd had a straight A record.

"Emmett, wake up! First period starts in twenty minutes, and we've already missed most of our free period!" Edward yelled at his roommate.

"I don't want to get up," Emmett whined, his voice muffled by the pillow that he was burying his face into.

Rolling his eyes, Edward grabbed the water bottle from on top of his nightstand and unscrewed the cap. He moved to stand next to Emmett's bed and his hand hovered over his friend's face.

"If you don't get up, I'll pour water on you," he threatened.

"No you won't," Emmett mumbled into his pillow. "You don't have the balls."

A dark smirk crept up on Edward's face as he tilted his hand, the lukewarm water spilling from the bottle and onto Emmett's head. Emmett shot up into a sitting position, his face shocked. Edward couldn't help but laugh at his roommate's bewildered expression.

"What the hell, man! What was that for?"

Edward shrugged, the amused smirk still on his face. "You better get moving if you want to make it to first period on time. You have," he looked at the alarm clock next to his bed, "eighteen minutes."

With that, Edward grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out the door. He met Jasper in the lounge, leaning against the wall near the entrance holding two cups of coffee in his hands.

"You, my friend, are a lifesaver," Edward said, grabbing the coffee that Jasper was holding out to him and taking a sip.

Jasper chuckled before looking over Edward's shoulder in the direction of the elevators. "Is Emmett not up yet?"

Edward snickered quietly. "He finally woke up about four, maybe five minutes ago."

The two friends walked out of Covington Hall and headed towards the direction of the sophomore buildings.

"Where's Rosalie?" Jasper asked curiously, taking a generous sip of his coffee.

Edward's eyes narrowed instinctively. "Why do you care?"

Jasper rolled his eyes and snorted. "Relax, Ed. I just assumed that she'd be with you, you know, 'cause it's her first day."

Edward shrugged. "I probably should text her to see where she is, but as of right now, I'm tired and don't really care. She has her roommate and her roommate's friend. I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't mind showing her to her classes. They seemed nice enough."

"You're such a good brother," Jasper mumbled sarcastically, throwing his empty coffee cup in a trashcan as he passed by it.

Edward chuckled and shrugged again. "She can take care of herself. What class do you have first?" he asked, trying to move the subject away from his sister.

"Health. What about you?"

"Humanities. But, hey, at least we have fifth period together, yeah? You can always look forward to that."

"True."

Because both guys had slept in, they missed their free period. To Edward, it didn't really matter because they never took attendance before first period. Making his way towards Michael Ray Hall, he headed towards the elevators and to the third floor. Looking for classroom 115, he mentally groaned when he opened the door and saw that the class was almost full.

His eyes scanned the room for a seat as he walked into the classroom. As he was walking passed Jessica Stanley's desk, she grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"Hey, Edward," she greeted with a sickeningly sweet smile. "I missed you during free period. Why don't you take a seat next to me and I'll fill you in on what happened?"

Edward grimaced and gently pulled his arm out of her grasp. "Thanks, but no thanks," he mumbled.

Looking around the room, he recognized Bella Swan sitting by herself and texting on her cell phone. Before Jessica could say anything else, he quickly made his way over to the open seat in the front of the room and sat down.

Bella looked up from her phone, her face expressing her surprise. It only lasted for a moment before she quirked a questioning eyebrow at her friend's brother.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking back down at her phone.

"Yes, you can actually. Do you mind if I sit next to you, for today at least?" Edward responded, trying to charm her with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure that if I said that I _did_ mind, you wouldn't move, would you? And why would you want to sit next to little ol' me when you clearly have someone who would kill for a seat next to you?" Bella asked, her voice and face emotionless.

Edward watched as Bella looked over her shoulder at Jessica, who was glaring at the two of them. He resisted the urge to chuckle when Bella smirked and gave her a little wave.

"Trust me, the last thing that I want is to sit next to Jessica," Edward muttered, looking down at the desk.

"What's so bad about Jess? She's nice enough, to some people at least."

Edward rolled his eyes at her.

Bella giggled and glanced back at her phone. "Do you even remember my name?" she asked curiously.

"Bella Swan, and before you ask, your friend's name is Alice Brandon, am I right?" Edward didn't wait for her to answer before he continued. "Do you remember mine?"

Bella snorted and rolled her eyes, slipping her phone into her back jean pocket just as the teacher came in the room.

"Welcome class! I see we have a few new faces that I didn't see this morning during the free period, so I'd just like to remind all of you that I'm Mrs. Laughlin and that I'll be teaching humanities for the next year."

Edward zoned out for the rest of the class period. There was one point where he snuck his phone out and texted his sister to see if she had gotten to her first class without any trouble, but other than that, the class was uneventful. When the bell rang, Edward stood from his chair and grabbed his backpack. He wondered when the school was going to assign them lockers and hoped that it would be before they gave them textbooks.

Checking his schedule, Edward saw that he had music next period as his extracurricular. Looking over at Bella, he watched as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Who are you texting?" he wondered nosily.

Bella looked up at him and her eyebrows were raised in confusion as to why he would care. She recovered herself quickly and cocked another eyebrow at him.

"Is it any of your business?"

Edward chuckled. "No, but a guy can't help but wonder when a beautiful girl can't put her phone down for more than two seconds. Who's the lucky guy?"

Bella snorted and shook her head as she collected her things. "Please. I would never text a guy that much in one class period. Can you say clingy? And for your information, I was texting my older sister, not that it's any of your business."

"Oh, well . . ." Edward stammered. He watched an amused smirk make its way onto Bella's face. "What's your next class?" Edward chuckled nervously as Bella eyed him. "What? Just trying to make conversation with my sister's roommate's best friend."

"If you must know, I'm going to home economics next. Don't tell me you have that class, too."

"No, no. I have music next. Home Ec. is on the way to my next class, you know. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"It's not like I'm being given much of a choice now, am I?" Bella muttered, turning towards the door.

Sighing, Edward ran a hand through his messy hair. He walked with Bella out of the building and towards Alexys Hall. They walked up the stairs and down a long hallway until she turned a corner and disappeared into a classroom, while he continued walking straight towards the music room. Edward's music class passed quickly, much to his surprise. He couldn't wait for school to become school and all of the introductions were done with. They annoyed him more than anything.

After music, Edward made his way toward Baynes Hall. On his way out of Alexys Hall, he bumped into Emmett.

"Look who's awake," Edward joked, pushing a button for the elevator. "Did you just get out of photography? Was Rosalie in your class?"

Emmett glared at him. "I'm not talking to you," he muttered childishly.

The elevator doors opened and both guys walked into the small space. Emmett angrily pushed the button that took them directly to the ground floor, watching as it lit up underneath his fingertip.

"Look, Emmett, I'm sorry that I poured water on you. I was just trying to hurry so that I could catch up with my sister and show her to her first class, you know, be a good brother to her. I didn't want to have to worry about whether or not you would make it to first period. It's not good to be late on the first day, you know."

Emmett eyed him before finally rolling his eyes.

"You're lying through your teeth, Cullen," he growled, walking out of the elevator and towards the direction of Baynes Hall.

Edward chuckled and followed after him, holding the door open for his angered roommate. Luckily, their classroom was on the ground floor.

"Okay, so what if I am?" Edward responded, following after him into the class.

Emmett huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't object when Edward took the open seat next to him near the back of the room.

"Are we cool yet?" Edward asked. When Emmett didn't respond, he continued. "Okay, if I promise to never do it again, and buy you lunch, will you forgive me?"

Emmett glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Edward noticed that there was a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Sure, why the hell not?"

Rolling his eyes, Edward turned and faced the front of the classroom where the science teacher was introducing herself as Mrs. Sarantakos.

"Oh, and to answer your question from earlier, yes, Rosalie's in my photography class. Jasper told me she's in his Spanish class."

"What did you say to her?" Edward asked, his voice a little on the cold side.

It was Emmett's turn to roll his eyes. "Calm down, Cullen. What do you think I said to her? 'Hey, remember me? I'm your brother's roommate. Wanna skip class and go have sex in the janitor closet down the hall?'" He rolled his eyes again when Edward's face hardened and his eyes flared with anger. "I said hi and asked to sit by her. She didn't even talk to me unless it was to ask for help with working her camera. When are you going to stop believing that I'm such a heartbreaker? Most of the time _I'm_ the one who ends up being heartbroken."

A nerdy looking girl sitting at the table in front of them spun around in her seat. "Be _quiet_!" she hissed. "Nobody cares if you get your heart broken!"

Both Edward and Emmett glared coldly at her.

"Why don't you turn around in your seat and stop eavesdropping?" Edward snapped, matching her tone. The girl huffed and spun back around. Edward angled his head towards Emmett. "What about Lauren Mallory?" he asked in a murmur.

Emmett groaned quietly in his seat. "I _already_ told what happened with her. I honestly can't believe that you don't believe me. Edward, she dumped _me_, not the other way around. She dumped me the minute that she heard from her friend that Riley Crowley and Bella Swan had broken up."

Edward straightened up in his seat when he heard Bella's name slip out of Emmett's mouth. He couldn't deny that Emmett sounded sincere, but he couldn't just ignore his past relationships. He was known as the campus heartbreaker, and it didn't look like there was anything he could do to change that.

When lunch came around after third period, Edward walked with Emmett to the mess hall. Moments after finding a table, Jasper popped up out of nowhere and sat down next to Emmett with a pizza box in his arms.

"You're welcome," he said, opening the lid and taking out a slice of pepperoni.

"Thanks, Jaz," Emmett and Edward responded in unison.

"You know, this doesn't count as you buying me lunch," Emmett said after swallowing a mouthful of pizza.

"Yeah, yeah," Edward muttered.

After eating a couple slices of pizza, Edward began looking around the mess hall for Rosalie. He eventually spotted her walking towards the vending machines. Standing up, Edward said a quick goodbye to his friends and made his way over to her.

"Rose," he called.

Rosalie bent down to grab the water bottle she had just bought and looked over her shoulder at her brother.

"Oh, hey, Edward," she greeted, pulling him into a hug when he got closer. "Where were you this morning?"

Edward smiled sheepishly at her before motioning his head towards the tables outside. Rosalie shrugged and followed him. They passed by the table where Rosalie had previously been sitting with Bella and her friend Alice, but Edward didn't stop to talk to them. He led Rosalie over to an empty table that was away from everyone else. He sat down on top of the table and rested his feet on one of the chairs before pulling Rosalie to sit next to him.

"Where were you this morning?" Rosalie asked again. "I kind of assumed that you'd show me to my classes, or to my first class at least."

"I would have, but if you remember when we were in middle school, I'm not a morning person. I ended up waking up late and study hall or free period, whatever the hell they're calling it this year, was already almost over."

"Lucky you," Rosalie sighed. "At least you got to sleep in. My roommate woke me up around five thirty."

Edward frowned. "You don't have to go in for the free period, you know. They don't take attendance until first period, so you can sleep in if you want. That's what I did last year. The free period is just for students who need more time to get their work done. The reason they even have it is so that if anyone can't catch a teacher after school, then they can get help before school. Or if they need one of the computer labs or libraries, it'll be open."

Rosalie shrugged. "That's okay. I don't mind waking up at five."

"Really? You wouldn't mind waking up at seven thirty instead?"

"Okay, that does sound tempting," Rosalie admitted.

Edward chuckled and ruffled her hair, much to Rosalie's annoyance. "How about this? Tonight, you're going to head over to my room and we're going to order in some Italian, just you and me like we used to do when I came home for the summer last year. Afterwards, I'm going to walk you to your dorm room and talk your roommate into letting you sleep in until seven thirty. When the sun rises and morning comes, I'm going to knock on your door at eight o'clock sharp to take you to get some coffee. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great, Edward. Thank you." Rosalie wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and pulled him into another tight hug. "You're a great brother."

"Thanks, Rose."

"Wait, what about your roommate?"

"Don't worry about him; I'm sure he won't mind spending some quality time with Jasper tonight. Now go and get back to your friends. They've been watching us for the past few minutes."

Rosalie giggled and kissed Edward on the cheek before walking away from him. Edward sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, holding his chin in his hands. He stayed in that position for a few more moments, only shifting when he heard footsteps coming towards him. Looking up, he watched as Emmett and Jasper walked over to him.

"Where have you been? Lunch is over in a couple of minutes, you know," Emmett said, hopping up on the table and taking the now vacant seat next to him.

"I know, I know," Edward sighed.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Rosalie?" Jasper wondered, leaning against the wall of the building next to him, his hands shoved in his front jean pockets.

Edward nodded. "Yeah, thankfully. We're going to be eating take out in my room. Hopefully that will help to break the news that my mom and her sleazy new boyfriend are coming to visit this weekend."

"Does she not get along with your parents or something?" Emmett asked curiously.

"It's . . . complicated," Edward finally mumbled after a few moments of semi-awkward silence.

"What class do you have next?" Jasper wondered, sensing that Edward was uncomfortable and attempting to change the subject.

"Spanish," Edward muttered with a slight frown on his face. He shot an appreciative smile at Jasper. "I understand that we need to know a second language in order to graduate, but come on, why does it have to _always_ be Spanish? I want to learn a new language, like French or Italian."

"I wouldn't mind learning Italian," Emmett chuckled.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You already know how to speak Italian, dumbass."

"Hey, it's not my fault that my parents sent me to Italy two summers ago."

Jasper snorted. "The only reason they sent you there was to spend some quality time with your grandparents in hopes to straighten you out. Clearly it didn't work."

"I don't understand why they can't just accept me as I am. I mean, it's not like I'm snorting cocaine or injecting heroine into my veins. I get good grades and I stay out of trouble most of the time. They just don't like me."

Edward chuckled when Emmett began to pout.

"They love your sister, though."

"Tell me about it," Emmett grumbled. "Speaking of which, I need to call her later."

"Come on, let's get to class," Jasper said when the bell rang. He pushed off the wall and led the way out of the mess hall.

Around seven o'clock that night, Edward kicked Emmett out of their dorm room. Emmett, grumbling under his breath, headed over to Jasper's room, which was directly across the hall from theirs.

"Hey, wait! When can I come back?" Emmett asked, stopping in the doorway.

Edward shrugged. "I'll come by Jasper's room after I walk Rose back to her dorm room."

"Fine. You're buying me another lunch for this, by the way."

Edward rolled his eyes and shoved his friend out the door. He grabbed his favorite leather jacket and threw it on before heading out of the room. It was a short walk over to Lawrence Hall, and Edward didn't stop to talk to anyone hanging around in the lounge. He headed straight for the elevators and to the fourth floor.

Knocking on Rosalie's door, he expected her to answer it but was slightly surprised when it was Alice who welcomed him.

"Hey, Alice," he greeted, smiling kindly at her with his hands shoved awkwardly in his jacket pockets.

"Hey, Edward," Alice replied, opening the door wider for him to enter the room.

"Where's Rose?" he asked, looking around the room for her.

His eyes stopped on Bella, who was lying on her stomach on Rosalie's bed, flipping through a magazine. She didn't look up when he entered, nor did she acknowledge him. Edward had to resist the urge to chuckle and roll his eyes when he realized that she was ignoring him. He still didn't understand why she disliked him so much. What'd he ever do to her?

"She's changing her shirt. She spilled water on it a few minutes ago," Alice told him.

He nodded before turning to face her fully. "Alice, do you think it would be any trouble letting her sleep in tomorrow?" he asked in a kind voice, hoping that she wouldn't say no.

"Um, yeah, it's no problem at all, Edward," she stuttered, her face turning red.

Edward heard the soft sound of Bella snickering on her spot on Rosalie's bed, but he didn't turn to acknowledge her. If she was giving him the silent treatment, he could return the favor.

"Thank you. I'm honestly surprised that you even managed to get her out of bed this morning. She's not really a morning person. You should see her in the summer. She usually stays up until around five in the morning and sleeps all day. It made spending time with her kind of difficult," Edward chuckled.

"I'm sure that you're glad that she attending RLA then, right?" Alice asked, trying to make small talk.

"Yeah," Edward admitted, leaning against the wall, a small smile making its way onto his face. "I missed her. Freshman year was hell considering the fact that I had never been apart from her for more than a weekend. We were practically attached at the hip growing up."

Just as he finished his sentence, the bathroom door opened and Rosalie walked out with a wet tee-shirt in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

"Oh, hey, Edward. When did you get here?" she asked, throwing the shirt in the hamper. Rosalie proceeded to grab a hair tie and threw her hair into a sloppy ponytail before turning to look at Edward.

"Just a few minutes ago, actually. You just about ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep." She grabbed a jacket and said goodbye to her friends before following her brother out the door.

"Is Emmett mad?" Rosalie asked while they headed to the elevator.

"Why would Emmett be mad?"

"Because, you know, you kicked him out of his room for the night," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Edward snorted. "Emmett doesn't get mad. He gets annoyed and he gets frustrated, but he doesn't get mad."

After a short walk, they made it to Edward's dorm room.

"Wow," Rosalie said. "I kind of expected it to be messier," she admitted sheepishly.

Edward scoffed. "You have so little faith in me, little sister. I ordered your favorites from the Italian restaurant on campus. The food should still be warm. It got here a few minutes before I picked you up."

After making a plate for herself, Rosalie sat down on the floor and leaned against Edward's bed, while Edward sat across from her.

"This is really good," she told him after swallowing a mouthful of food.

Edward smiled. "I hoped you would like it."

They made small talk while they ate. It was comfortable and familiar to Edward. He was beyond grateful to have his sister back with him, fully aware that he would have missed her even more during his sophomore year.

After they finished eating, Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Rose, there's something I have to tell you . . ." He trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"Is this about Mom introducing us to her newest boyfriend this weekend?" she asked, taking a sip of her Coke.

Edward's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"She called me a little bit before you got to my room."

"Well . . . that was easier than I thought," he mumbled.

Rosalie snorted and looked down at her lap. "Do you think that Mom and Dad will ever get back together?" she asked in a sad tone.

Edward sighed and moved across the floor so that he could hug her. "Do you want my honest answer or do you want the answer that I know will make you feel better?" he asked.

"Your honest answer."

"Then . . . I have to say no. They've been divorced for three years, Rose. We both knew that they were having issues way before Emily died. I think that it was just the final nail in the coffin, the excuse that they needed to finally get a divorce."

"So you don't think that there's any chance that we'll be able to be a happy family ever again?" Rosalie looked up at him and her eyes were filled with tears.

Edward furrowed his brows, not wanting her to cry but not knowing what he could say in order to make her feel better. Their parents' divorce was a sore topic for the both of them and he was surprised that Rosalie even brought it up.

"We are happy, just not together. Mom and Dad love you, Rose. Never doubt that. They just . . . fell out of love. They weren't right for each other; you could see that from when we were kids. This was long overdue."

Rosalie sighed and hung her head. "I know. It's just, I can't and don't want to think about them being with anyone else."

"I know how you feel, but we have to give them have a chance at being happy, don't you agree?" Edward asked gently, tucking a piece of hair that fell out of Rosalie's ponytail behind her ear.

Rosalie huffed and looked away. "I agree but I still don't like it. I don't think I'll ever like anybody that they start dating. All the men that Mom has introduced us to have been jerks."

"I know, I know. Trust me, I agree with you one hundred percent. But maybe this one will be different."

Rosalie snorted and looked away. "Yeah right. It's like she's turned into a completely different person ever since Emily died. She's not acting like the mom that she used to be. She acts like a freaking teenager!"

Edward chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I miss Dad. When is he coming to visit?" she wondered.

"I have no idea. I'll email him tonight and hopefully he'll be able to take some time off of work to fly down for a weekend or something."

"Yeah . . . hopefully."


End file.
